Russia set for clean sweep in Turin

Updated: Thursday, 14 Jun 2007 16:31

Evgeni Plushenko put Russia on the verge of Olympic history after winning the gold medal in the men's figure skating competition with a score of 258.38.

After Monday's pairs victory by Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin, Plushenko's win puts Russia within one of an unprecedented clean sweep of the Olympic figure skating gold medals.

The 23-year-old's arsenal of jumps, unmatched artistry and a massive lead after the short programme saw him claim the victory that eluded him four years ago in Salt Lake City.

"It was my dream when I was four years old," said Plushenko, who has won all but two of the international competitions in the last four years. "I'm so happy with my scores."

He added: "I did my job, it's not the best but it was quite enough. I didn't have a lot of emotion. My fans know how emotional I can be."

Reigning world champion Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland was a distant second, settling for the silver with a mark of 231.21, while Canada's Jeffrey Buttle moved up three spots to take bronze with the second-best free skate of the night.